RECIPE: Cafe style banana bread

Words: Fiona Herron | Photo: Chris Herron

So… I know banana bread has been done to death… but, I’ve wanted to share this amazing café style banana bread since I started working with AMB. I’m just going to get it out there because it's delicious!

This banana bread has been sold in cafés and always gets great reviews – it is made with over 50% bananas.

Musa are an amazing fruit – the nutritional status changes as it ripens. When raw (and not overripe) they are a good source of fibre, Vit C and B6, potassium and magnesium. To make this banana bread, however, you need really ripe bananas and at this stage they naturally have higher antioxidant levels, lower amounts of vitamins but still a relatively high potassium content.

The health benefit of the high banana content in this bread is that minerals are very stable nutrients and therefore not affected by heat – the amount of potassium remains relatively constant even after you’ve baked the bread. Potassium is essential for normal functioning of all the cells in your body – you are getting a good dose by enjoying a slice of your banana bread.

This recipe makes a huge loaf which can be sliced and frozen ready for whenever you feel like it, or you can just half the recipe.

Banana Bread Ingredients

Use organic where possible and always use trusted brands

– 1kg peeled ripe bananas (or approx 2.8kg unpeeled)

– 150g butter melted

– 115g chopped Medjool dates (approx. 1 cup)

– 2/3rd cup sugar (I use Rapadura)

– 1 tsp vanilla essence

– 2 eggs

– 2 cups SR flour

– 1 & 1/2 cups plain flour

– 2 tsp baking soda

– 1/4 tsp salt

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 170C (fan-forced) and grease a large loaf tin (28x7x13.5cm)

Prep and mash bananas in a large bowl

Melt butter

In your food processor, add melted butter, sugar, dates and vanillas essence and blend to a thick paste

Add the eggs and blend until just mixed (no more than 30 secs)

Scrap the paste into the bowl of mashed bananas

Sift in SR flour, salt and baking soda and stir through (take your time with the stirring)

Sift in plain flour and stir through (again, don’t rush – it all comes together)

Scrape batter into the pre-greased tin and bake in oven for 70mins or until knife comes out mostly clean (there will still be moist banana in the bake)

Let sit on the cooling rack for 5 mins before removing

Once completely cooled, slice and freeze (make sure you place a piece of baking paper between each slice so you can easily separate once frozen)

Nutrition per serve (160g):
Energy – 1,900 kJ

Protein – 9.7g

Fat – 14.4g

Carbohydrate – 67.2g